The Sixers have made it clear in their free agent signings this offseason that they plan to make some big moves next summer. Philly signed both JJ Redick and Amir Johnson to one-year contracts further proving their intent to sign a big name in 2019.

Even in their most recent trade which sent Justin Anderson and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Hawks and Thunder respectively, the Sixers planned for the future by receiving Mike Muscala and his expiring contract.

While many consider this offseason a colossal failure due to the team missing out on LeBron James, Philly is quietly executing their plan to perfection.

Additionally, a few of the team’s foundational pieces (Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, and Dario Saric) all have team options following this upcoming season. Their extremely team-friendly rookie contracts are still in play which is one reason Philly will be able to retain so much youth while having the ability to sign a player to a max deal.

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Assuming they keep those players along with second-year, summer league standout Furkan Korkmaz, Philadelphia will almost certainly have at least one open slot for a max contract. However, it’s uncertain if Philly will come to terms with Simmons on a long-term extension like they did Joel Embiid.

Giving the 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year an extension should be the team’s first priority, followed by clearing cap for a max-level superstar second.

The Sixers should certainly be in the running for one of the several superstars expected to be available next offseason, though, which is good news because there’s a lot of them.

Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler or Kevin Durant would likely be their top targets, but a player like Khris Middleton might not command a max, allowing Philly to sign another elite player. On that same note, there’s little reason to believe Durant would leave Golden State.

Imagine if the Sixers signed Middleton to a long-term, $20 million per year contract. Having a core of Middleton, Simmons, Fultz, Embiid, and Saric running the floor would be virtually unguardable with the size, shooting, and speed that lineup could possess.

They could then take the leftover cap space and create a formidable second unit. With so much fluctuation in the East, this group could easily take the throne for the next half-decade.

Whether the Sixers go for a max-contract player or not, they will be in one of the league’s best positions entering the 2019 offseason.